World Environment Day

WED was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme).

The World Environment Day theme selected for 2003 is Water - Two Billion People are Dying for It! The theme calls each one of us to help safeguard the most precious source of life on our planet - water. This theme has been chosen to support the United Nations International Year of Freshwater, 2003 and World Water Day (22 March). Moreover the logo of the International Year of Freshwater has been incorporated in the World Environment Day logo to highlight this important United Nations Year.

The main international celebrations of the World Environment Day 2003 is held in Beirut, the first time in the Arab world.

The purpose of this celebration is to give a human face to environmental issues; empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding that communities are central to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and people to enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

World Environment Day is people's event with colourful activities such as street rallies, bicycle parades, green concerts, essays and poster competitions in schools, tree planting, as well as recycling and clean-up campaigns.

Engineer Ibrahim Al Zu'bi, UNEP Global Youth Advisor for West Asia, stated that Emirates Diving Association (EDA) and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) are launching a campaign for water management, recyling and environmental awareness to mark WED 2003 in Dubai. The activities will also include the printing of educational materials and an environmental competition in cooperation with Al-Arabia FM Radio Channel.

The UAE government has showed its commitment to the environment by re-using waste water for greening the city. This re-use of water changed a dreary desert town into a green city with many street trees casting cool shade and green lawns covering once heated land. Greening the city has brought various birds to the town and has lowered the average temperature.

On this World Environment Day, let us examine the state of our environment. Let us consider carefully the actions which each of us must take, and then address ourselves to our common task of preserving all life on earth.